Exploring The Mission's vintage shops

Vintage stores are underrated. And San Francisco is teeming with them. I recently set out on a vintage shopping expedition with my BFF Nicole, who is a professional photographer, videographer and editor in SF. This collaboration was her idea, and I was thrilled. Vintage shopping is SO much fun. It's like a treasure hunt, but one that's set back in time. In this video that Nicole shot and edited, I try on a bunch of cute retro dresses, spanning from the 50's-70's. 

Exploring The Mission's vintage shops from Elise Armitage on Vimeo.

You can see more of Nicole's vids on her Vimeo account, and check out her blog to see what shoots she's working on. 

And yes, I totally bought the maroon boots that I tried on in the vid. They were part of one of my recent OOTDs!

Special thanks to Idol Vintage and Clothes Contact for letting us shoot our vid in their stores. 

Ootd ~ Frilly floral top with woodsy accessories

10 ways to workout without a gym membership

It's finally summer! And some of us are more excited about the opportunity to wear skimpy outfits than others. If you're feeling like you missed the boat on getting into bikini shape, but are also strapped for cash and don't want to pay an expensive gym membership, fear not! Here's how to get that great workout without a gym membership.

1. Get some home workout videos. The possibilities are endless here--kick boxing, yoga, pilates, barre method, p90x, zumba--whatever tickles your fancy. Get a group of friends together and have everyone buy one or two workout DVDs. Then you can all trade each month to keep your workouts fresh. 

2. Go on a hike. Burn extra cals by conquering some big hills.
3. Keep an eye out on all the deal sites. Groupon, LivingSocial, Bloomspot, Google Offers, and Yelp all have deals on bootcamp, pilates classes, etc. I love grabbing these random deals because it's cheap and it switches up my workout routine.

4. Scour YouTube. Tons of trainers post their workouts for free. I'm obsessed with Cassey Ho's Pop Pilates. Her pilates vids are ridic. 

5. Collect workout moves from your magazines. Cosmo and Women's Health always have some new ones in each issue. I like to cut them out and toss them in a folder. When I feel like mixing up my workout, I grab a bunch at random.

6. Explore on a run.  Just don't get lost. Since I live in SF, there are so many little neighborhoods and streets to explore. I'll run in a new direction and just see what I can see. Spotting new restaurants you want to try or boutiques you want to stop in later helps take your mind off the fact that you're running. 

7. Do gym "trials." Many gyms will offer a free week of gym membership and classes so you can try out their location. Give your local gyms a call or check online to see if they do this kind of promo. 

8. If you have a friend that has a gym membership, some gyms (like 24 Hour Fitness) will give their members' friends a free week pass. And then you get to work out with a buddy, which is always more fun.

9. Pin that shizz. Get a Pinterest account and create a fitness board to help you keep track of all the great, free workouts available online. Here's my fitness board to get you started! And here's  my motivation board. I like to pin anything that'll help me get my booty out of bed for my 6am workouts.

10. Find free, customizable workout programs online. Or find workout programs that have a free month trial, like this Women's Health online personal trainer program. 

New DSLR!

Momma's got a brand new toy! Can't wait to start playing with it and adding some gorg photos to WTFab. Stay tuned for that! Weeeeeeeeeee!

City girl in a big canyon ~ Grand Canyon adventures

My boyfriend and I recently went on a camping trip with two of our friends from home, who are also a couple. It was like going on a double date at one of the world's seven wonders. Badass. Neither of us had been before and we had an amazing, awe-inspired, fun-filled trip. We also chowed down on tri-tip, smoked salmon, and cucumber/tomato/feta salad, all made by us at our campsite. Hey, you can take the girl out of the Gourmet Ghetto, but you can't take the Gourmet Ghetto out of the girl.


Amazingness aside, between the ticks we found on our shoes, tent, and selves, the heat rash, the rather large spider I found in my hair, the woman in the shower stall next to me who proceeded to pee and flood my shower stall, and the potentially bubonic plague infested squirrels who sneakily opened our tent's zippers and snuck in, I have come to one solid conclusion. I am a mothafuckin city girl.


Don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors and consider myself the adventurous type. I'm down for hiking, jumping off that 50 foot cliff into the ocean, night diving with giant manta rays, and swimming out into the ocean a couple miles (all the while on the look out for sharks) so I can swim with dolphins. And all this I've done with gusto. The difference between this trip and those instances being that at the end of the day, I like to have a clean shower to get off the sweat and grime and a good night's rest in an actual bed, so I'm ready to do it all again the next day. Shit, it doesn't need to be the four seasons. A tick-free motel would suit me just fine.


My boyfriend loves camping. Like really. So I know he was a bit on the disappointed side when it became apparent that I'm nothing like Annie Oakley, and probably much more like her hotter, better groomed step-sister, Aurora Oakley, who enjoys fine-dining and squeals over flash deals on Gilt.com. But he's such a doll. He told me he appreciated my effort and that next time we come to the Grand Canyon we can stay in a cushy lodge. And I told him, "Marry me."


All in all, I'm glad I got the full experience. The important thing was that we had an amazing time with friends. Between the 4 billion year old canyon and the infinite stars, you can't help but feel like a little speck of dust that somehow got lucky enough to experience this natural wonder. So without further adieu, a few choice pics from our GC trip.

Yes, we managed to fit it all. And 4 bodies.

Watch Tower at the east rim of the canyon

Our adorable REI tent!

Last sunset at the canyon

Native American art in the watch tower

Cacti!

Some light reading while camping

About WTFab

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Young working professional appreciating the little things in life. SF is my playground. Big fan of the 4Fs: Fashion, Food, Fitness, Fabulousness. Alright, I may have made that last word up. Seriously though, if you’re not striving for the fabulous life you want, wtf are you doing? Oh, I also really appreciate intelligent, classy women who drop a lot of F-bombs. 


WTFab is all about adding a pinch of zest to your life. It's inspired by all things girly, fashiony and yummy. Follow for tips, tricks, daily musings and delicious secrets on how to stay fabulous. Read more about WTFab and why I started it!


Questions/Concerns/Suggestions/Wanttosendmeflowers? whatthefab@gmail.com

Happy OOTD Friday!

More high-low dress love

I got a lot of great feedback on my mullet dress post from the other day. People are excited to give these high-low dresses a whirl this summer. One of my Twitter friends even tweeted me a pic of her newest high-low dress from JCP. And it went a little somethin like this:

Cute Hi-lo dress from JCP! @WTFab1! twitter.com/ireneray/statu…
— irene raymond (@ireneray) June 12, 2012

@ireneray Lol oopsies, oh well! Love it! So cute and love the color. Thx for sharing!

@WTFab1 @ireneray thank you! BTW, love your musings (and pics) on your page! So great.
— irene raymond (@ireneray) June 12, 2012

Thanks, Irene!


What high-low dress are you rocking this summer? 

Ootd ~ Vintage Inspired

This outfit of the day (ootd) was inspired by vintage accessories. I found the boots in my grandmother’s closet (she turns 97 this October!) and was overwhelmed with joy when they fit me relatively well. And yes, she said I could have them. I didn’t steal from my century-year-old gma :). 

The necklace is also passed down from my grandma. She literally has four huge duffle bags full of old jewelry that she let me go through. Some of it is funky as hell, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s also fun to see that we have similar tastes—one of the pairs of gold earrings I found in her duffle bags are exactly the same as a pair that I have, but in silver. When I found this necklace I nearly squealed. My gma and I both share a love of turquoise. 

The vintage robin’s egg ring is from my bestie Nicole’s great-aunt. Gorgeous. I especially love the flowered detail on the sides. 

Whose closet will you raid for some vintage trinkets and treasures?

DIY: Color code your keys ~ Pretty & organized? Yes please.

I have a fairly ridiculous amount of keys. Like a shit ton. It takes 3 just to get into my apartment, another to check the mail, 2 to get into the office, I also have the keys to my parents' house, don't forget the car keys, and...Yea it's a lot to keep track of. And we all know how much I love RCM gel manicures. So I gave my keys a little makeover! Not only does it make my keys a lot prettier, but now I don't take one and stick it in the wrong hole. That's totally what she said.

I chose shades ranging from dark red to sparkly pink and chose the darkest color for the key I use first when I come home, second darkest for the next door I walk through, and so on...(Yes, I realize I sound totes OCD. At least it's a pretty OCD.)

Don't worry if you don't have enough different shades of one color to pull this off. It'd also look great with random colors - neons or pastels would be a fab choice.
P.S. Go Bruins!!

Why you should give the mullet dress a second chance

Last year fashion magazines were freaking out over "the mullet dress." And I was anything but sold. Actually, I was completely grossed out by the idea and thought they were hideous. I mean, it's hard to see past a name like that:

I've felt this way all the way up until last week. I was sitting on the sidewalk at a lovely SF cafe when I saw a chick glide by in a drop dead gorgeous--yep, mullet dress. It was so pretty that if I wasn't so busy stuffing my face with a falafel I would have stopped her and asked if I could snap a pic for WTFab. And recently, I've been seeing some fabulous versions of the mullet dress this summer. The best part? The world of fashion has wised up and ditched the grotsky name. They're popping up as "high-low" dresses and "fish-tail" dresses. Well doesn't that sound better and totally not dirty? They're popping up this summer, and I encourage you to give them a try. You can't help but feel a little goddessy in them because of the way they float as you walk by.


High-low dress I found at F21:

Saw these on Gilt, labeled as "fish tail." Again, so much more becoming:

Addicted to RCM ~ Color: Oh so 90210

Ootd ~ Is it a belt? Is it a ring?

Ootd ~ 3 summer must haves in 1: Maxi, high-low, nautical stripes

Ootd ~ Mint green pants with nautical stripes

Ootd

Ootd ~ Coral Bridesmaid dress

Found the perfect bridesmaid dress for my cousin's wedding! She did the choose your own dress in coral. I'm in love with this dress. It's fun and lacy and I just want to wear it while running through a field of daisies.

Flower power. Floral shorts are in full bloom this summer.

Summer is quickly approaching, and if there's one article of clothing you should have in your fashion arsenal, it's floral shorts. They're absolutely adorable and they scream "Helloooooo summer!" These little dandies can be found at pretty much any store that's remotely worth your time. Sadly, not all the flowery shorts out there hit the mark. Case in point, these moderately unfortunate Anne Taylor Loft doozies:

But lucky you, I've gone ahead and picked out some of the cutest ones I've seen:

~Woodsy colors are easy to pair with neutral tops and shoes

~Not for the faint of heart. They're racy and lacy and I'm a fan.

~Wear a crop top with high-waist shorts for a sliver of skin. Cute, not crass.

~Pretty in lavender

~Darker tones, if that's more your cup of tea

~These pastels remind me of a Monet painting

~Love the cuffs on these

~These H&M shorts have you covered. Literally, they're a little longer.

Not sure what to wear with these cuties? Solid tops make it hard to go wrong. Avoid matchy-matchy. Neutrals are always a way to play it safe before you're ready to play with more colors. I like to pick a barely-there-color in the shorts and play it up. i.e., a bright blue solid top to go with the first (brown) shorts. Enjoy!

Ootd ~ Nautical stripes with aquamarine accents

Ootd ~ Sassin up athletic wear with boots and funky jewelry

Ootd ~ These accessories make me nostalgic for Paris

Ootd ~ Rose jewelry accents on a neutral palette

Retro pinup swimsuits are going to be *HOT* this summer

Marie Claire's March edition had a whole section dedicated to classic beach babe swimsuits. Here are a few pinup suits that caught my eye:

Love the fun and flirty leg cut~

The pink is so adorable~

Diggin this modern twist on a classic~

Fast forward a couple months, and I find Lauren Conrad's cute booty gliding through my copy of Glamour's May issue:

And I thought Hey! I recognize that suit! (This is a big deal because I'm horrible at recognizing people, streets, faces, etc). But where, oh where did I see it? After racking my brain I realized it was a fab green version of the pink suit in MC (above). Isn't LC just darling in it?? Unfortunately, I probably can't afford the lovely flowery Barneys pinup swimsuit, because I'm guessing "Price upon request" does not = $39.99. You win on that front, Tar-shey. So sad.


That's when ebay swooped in to save the day! A quick search brought up some great retro suits. Check out this seller's selection. I can't decide which one I like best!! What's your fav?


Still not sold on the pinup suits? Here are 5 reasons why you should own one, STAT:


1. They're a classic! And they'll never go out of style. 
2. "Forgot" to hit the gym this morning? Really craving that extra hot dog at the beach? Don't even sweat it. Pinup suits offer a little more coverage. 
3. They're flirty and sassy but they'll still keep it classy. I for one am getting tired of being flashed by girls' almost-visible-assholes in their floss bikinis. (In case you couldn't tell by the tone of that sentence, I should probably tell you that link isn't something you'll want to open when your boss is standing behind you).
4. Channeling Marilyn is always a confidence booster. She knew what she was doing!
5. They flatter all body types! Hooray.


So go forth, snag this oldie but goodie, and channel your inner retro beach vixen!